The invention generally relates to an adjustable grill for an oven-type barbeque device. More particularly, it is directed toward a large outdoor barbeque oven having a hood covering over a firebox containing a grill disposed above a heat source.
Outdoor barbeque devices typically provide nickel-plated grills for receiving food items to be cooked such a bratwurst, hotdogs, hamburgers, shish-ka-bobs, chicken, vegetables, and the like. Due to the wide variety of foods to be barbequed and the various requirements of cooking times and temperatures, it has become advantageous to provide for adjustment of the grill relative to the fire bed or heat source in order to dispose the food items at selected orientations within the oven.
Often outdoor cooking devices have large covers, which usually are unitary or telescoping-type hoods pivotally arranged above the firebox. It would therefore be desirable to provide an adjustable grill that can work in conjunction with such a large hooded covers. More specifically it would be advantageous to make grill adjustment possible from the exterior of the barbeque oven while the hood remains in place so that constant temperature can be maintained.
For cooperation with hinged hoods, handles are typically provided to extend outwardly of the firebox, whereby the entire grill may be lifted and positioned. For example, my U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,592,335 and 5,042,451 provide for exterior adjustability. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,335, a slant adjustable grill coacts with grill support panels that extend upwardly from the firebox end walls. A hinged hood is provided with pairs of apertures for the arms of the grill handles to extend outwardly facilitating adjustment while the hood remains closed. In that patent, the grill handles are supported in notches of the support panel at opposite ends of the grill so that vertical adjustability is permitted, including the capacity for slant adjustment both longitudinally and transversely of the firebox. My U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,451 teaches an improvement upon the first noted patent by eliminating the requirement for grill support panels to be associated with the firebox end walls for supporting the handles above the firebox. U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,451 further improved upon the earlier invention by eliminating the need for dual openings at both ends of the hood, which were required for accommodating two arms of the handle that engage support panels at both ends of the barbeque grill. My later patent discloses that only a single grill arm is required to extend outwardly through single apertures at either end of the hood. The grill support members in this later patent consist of legs that depend downwardly from the grilling member and are engageable at notches of grill supports that reside within, and are attached to the bottom wall of, the firebox. By moving the support panels away from the firebox end walls, as in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,335, adjustability is available while allowing for a pivotal clean-out door to comprise an end wall of the barbeque grill.
In the adjustable grill of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,451, the exemplary grill includes front and rearwardly slanted depending legs that terminate in transversely bent projections arranged at each corner of the grill. The transversely bent projections extend in opposite directions at each end of the grill for purposes of preventing horizontal dislocation of the grill when engaged at the notches of the support plates. While the invention disclosed in my patent is very useful, it would nonetheless be desirable to eliminate depending leg extensions and transverse projections whereby to eliminate extra material costs and also to avoid the problems inherent in extensions or projections. The minimization of such projections and extensions would alleviate damage concerns and misalignment problems due to bending and the like during shipping and handling, and also when assembled and used by the purchaser. However, coupled with the elimination of such projections and extensions, it would further be desirable to offer an adjustable grill that requires only single apertures or openings at the ends of the hoods to permit T-shaped grill handles to project outwardly of the single hood apertures.
It is therefore also a main object of the present invention to minimize extensions from a grill for use in conjunction with notched supports for grill adjustment. Concomitantly, it is a goal to provide support panels for an adjustable grill that may be attached to the firebox without connection to the end walls whereby the end walls may optionally take the form of clean-out doors.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide for the sidewall attachment of the grill supports and arrange the engageable notches for supporting the grill to be at or above the firebox.
It is further an object of the invention to provide a slant and vertically adjustable grill that permits the grill supports to be spaced above and away from the end and bottom walls, and the firegrate of the firebox, so as to create minimum interference with heat sources or clean-out mechanisms.
It is also a goal of the invention to provide for an adjustable grill with the minimization of adjustment components that permits the full use of a grill surface for cooking as in my said two previous patents.